Rebuild-Restore-Recover Luncheon (Domestic Abuse Shelter)

BY MAGGIE OLIVE KLEIN
KONKLIFE STAFF WRITER AND EDITOR 

One in four women and one in seven men will be impacted by domestic violence during their lifetime. The Domestic Abuse Shelter (DAS), is a non-profit organization that provides comprehensive services for individuals and families experiencing domestic abuse. DAS is the only certified domestic violence center serving Monroe County, and has been doing so ever since it was a grass roots movement in the late 70s. Prior to Irma, the organization had two shelters. One in the middle keys, and the other in the lower keys. Because of Irma, the first one was lost, and the organization has made a priority of rebuilding it. 

There are outreach services throughout the keys, and offices are located in Key Largo, Marathon, and Key West, so individuals are able to access services if they don’t need shelter. All services can be accessed through DAS’s crisis line, and during the phone call, victims will undergo an assessment, be given a safety plan, and their needs will be met. All services are at no cost to survivors, and all victims of domestic violence are of equal importance. Sherrie Schwab, Chief Executive Officer of DAS says, “There’s no safe category of who is not going to be a victim of domestic violence.” 

With the loss of one of the shelters five years ago, DAS has been trying ever since to rebuild what once was. Schwab says, “Its been a really hard fundraising time for many reasons. One disaster after another, plus COVID-19, the ability for people to donate has been difficult.” Schwab goes on to detail DAS’s three part comprehensive campaign, with their first part focusing on growing the organization, raising money for new staff and programs, etc. The second aspect, the capital part of the program, is what they are mainly focusing on right now. Their biggest priority is rebuilding the shelter, which will cost around $5 million. The third part of the campaign is to try and secure the future through endowment. 

The DAS is hosting an awareness, non-fundraising event on Thursday, October 13th by invite only. Schwab explains that the invitation was sent to about 1,700 people. Those invited include local officials, community partners, and prospective influencers that can spread word about DAS. When detailing the event, Schwab said, “We’re having a retired 3 star General come to speak at the event. He has a really interesting military story, as well as a connection to domestic violence through his current wife. The sheriff will also be there to talk, as well as some of our staff. It is an effort to let people know who we are, what we are doing, and what our needs are.” She went on to explain that the DAS isn’t known by many people, and hopefully with this event, as well as an upcoming dinner event in March, people will begin to be exposed to all of the great work that is done at DAS, and the opportunities they can provide to victims and survivors. 

When asked about the work they do, Schwab said, “We want to do the best job we can to get victims safe and keep them safe. In the future, hopefully the oppression of anybody is no longer acceptable. We are here to plant a seed for victims to assure them that the abuse is not ok, and we are here when they are ready.” Statistics show that victims will go back as much as seven times to their abuser before they leave. 

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